Reader Reaction: Annoying Passengers

Since the Model T, the overwhelming majority of vehicles produced have been designed to accommodate the driver along with at least one passenger. With a Corvette, you only have room for one special passenger. Whether it is to show off your driving skills to someone you’re dating, transporting a co-worker from point A to point B, or taking your child to school, that passenger seat is going to get used once in a while.

Corvette enthusiasts normally take very good care of their cars – and the problem with passengers, is that they seldom have a similar way of treating their own car, let alone yours.

While we have our own opinions on what type of passenger behavior is acceptable versus annoying, we wanted to know what our readers thought and so we asked them, “As a car guy/gal, what are the MOST ANNOYING things passengers do?”

With an overwhelming number of responses, there were definitely some annoying passenger traits suggested by our readers that bring back some bad memories! This is a list of some of the most popular annoying behaviors.

Slamming the door – This truly is an annoying passenger behavior. For vehicles with long or heavy doors (Corvettes, full sized trucks, etc), an overly aggressive passenger can build some big momentum when slamming your door. The sound of a door slamming is terrible (especially inside the car) and it is just downright irritating if you are someone who prides yourself on keeping your vehicle in good condition.

Look at that door… just waiting to be slammed!

Fingerprints – Who likes a bunch of fingerprints all over their car caused by their passengers greasy jam-hands? The answer should be no one. Greasy fingerprints and smudges all over the interior plastic, exterior paint, door handles, and especially the windows, are just annoying and create more clean up later on. Maybe keep some wet naps in your car to combat this?

Pushing the door open with their foot – This one strikes a cord because it is so obnoxious. Car doors were designed with door handles – so that you can gently push the door open with your hand when exiting the vehicle. Some passengers love to reach for the door handle to open the door and then swing the door open with their shoe/foot kicking against the lower section of the plastic interior. This is easily one of, if not the, most annoying thing a passenger can do. For someone that likes to take care of their car, the scuffs caused by a passenger doing this are sure to make them cringe.

Using the window to open or close the door – A ton of our Corvette owners responded with this one and there is definitely virtue to it. Without a window frame, some passengers think it’s a great idea to open and close the door with the window. This creates fingerprints, smudges, and is simply frowned upon by the Corvette community.

Flatulence – No explanation necessary.

Dirty shoes/feet on surfaces other than the floor mats – Floor mats were designed to prevent stains to the carpet and when people get into a vehicle, their feet belong on the floor mats only. Some passengers like to put their feet (with shoes or without) on the seats, on the dashboard, drag them across the door sill, or smear their feet against the windshield. All four are wrong on so many levels. There is no harm in telling your passengers to keep their feet on the floor, where they belong– or they can use their feet to walk home.

Eating in the car – People are hit or miss on this one. Some people eat three meals a day in their car whereas others won’t let any food product into their car (like me). Whichever side you are on, one thing is for sure, food creates a mess and smells. If you want that in your car, well, it’s your car.

Swinging the door open – One reader wrote how annoying it is when passengers swing the door open without looking outside first. The result of a blind swing will send the door into another car, a curb, or a stationary object. The phrase “look before you leap” applies here and should be shared with passengers.

Driver controls – A lot of readers expressed their distaste for passengers who go reaching for the stereo controls and/or the climate controls and I have to agree with them. Those controls are primarily for the drivers comfort, not the passenger.

Back seat drivers – Enough said, they are everywhere.

We had all kinds of great suggestions from our readers this week. We did have a couple noteworthy funny responses as well that we wanted to include. One reader suggested, “no passengers, no complaints!” which was supported by a second reader who added, “My passengers either abide by my rules or they aren’t my passengers!” A couple of our more passionate readers suggested they didn’t want their passengers to breathe or talk – that might be difficult!

Thanks again for all the responses and until the next Readers Reaction, check out our Facebook page!